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Google Joined Apple in Getting U.S. Requests to Unlock Mobile Phones

Today's topics include an ACLU inquiry that found that Google has also received government requests to unlock Android phones, Microsoft's announcement that it will release a Windows 10 release anniversary update, Intel's effort to drive cloud adoption with its latest Xeon server chips and Dell's upgraded Precision systems are tuned to support virtual reality applications.

Google also has been facing inquiries from the U.S. government to help unlock Android cell phones to aid criminal investigations, mirroring requests Apple received to help unlock its iPhones.

The Google requests were found through an investigation by the American Civil Liberties Union, which discovered that Apple and Google have been asked by the government 63 times to help unlock cell phone data, according to a March 30 story by The Wall Street Journal.

The government issued these requests to Google and Apple under a 1789 law, the All Writs Act, to force the companies to help unlock the phones, the story reported. The results of those requests is not known, based on the ACLU investigation.

Further reading

Microsoft announced that it will release an upgraded version of Windows 10, the Windows 10 Anniversary Update this summer, a year after the company introduced its latest version of its PC operating system.

Microsoft said the Windows 10 Anniversary Update will deliver significant new features for consumers and developers as part of the Universal Windows Platform.

Intel officials a year ago kicked off what they called the Intel Cloud for All strategy, an effort designed to accelerate the adoption of cloud computing that includes not only the chip maker's silicon products for cloud environments, but also helping to create an ecosystem around cloud infrastructures and open standards.

On March 31, Diane Bryant, senior vice president and general manager of Intel's Data Center Group, introduced the latest generation of Xeon E5 server and workstation processors that she said has the features that will enable businesses to more easily adopt cloud computing.

Dell is no stranger to delivering virtual reality technology, according to Rahul Tikoo, executive director and general manager of the company's Precision workstation business.

However, with VR expected to expand rapidly in the corporate world, Dell officials are pushing to stay ahead of the curve. They hope to do so through the Precision workstation unit.

And on March 31 the company launched its VR Ready program for the workstations with upgraded components designed for creating and displaying VR content.

The Precision desktops are equipped with massive compute and graphics capabilities to support VR experiences for corporate customers using such VR headsets as the Oculus Rift and the HTC Vive.